Please Help! - Roger Maris Auto
 

Hello,

I have an opportunity to purchase an 8x10 autographed by Roger Maris but I have concerns. It was authenticated by Drew Max (Pawn Stars) in 1998. The current owner says he bought it 8 years ago from a local card shop with this authentication. I'm seeing forums all over the internet regarding the illegitimacy of Drew Max (AAU - Authentic Autographs Unlimited) seems I can't rely on that cert.

To my untrained eye, the auto looks good. If this is legit, it appears it could be worth $600-$1200. I've negotiated to $300, but wondering if anyone has opinions of the authenticity before I pull the trigger?

Genuinely appreciate it!

No-just on the COA alone, didn't even look at the Autograph.

I would pass on that one. The certificate alone would be the first reason.

Quite true.
And the signature is obviously bad, as well.

Drew Max was fired from Pawn Stars for his many mistakes. This is one of them.:eek:

I would be uncomfortable with that one.

Thank you all for the replies. I get not trusting the COA due to it being done by Drew Max, but what is it about the signature that looks suspicious? I'm comparing to others in that period, it seems accurate to me?

I'm also in Fargo, ND where he grew up so would expect a higher likelihood something from this area would be legit with his frequent trips home, charity events, etc.

I've only seen 1 other example of this specific pic of him signed during his stint with the Indians. You would think a lot of the forgeries would be NY.

Not an expert, so appreciate your advice.

You can tell by the "R" alone that it is a clunky, slowly signed, awful forgery.

bobby nailed it!

The flow is slow drawn and I agree the R is horrible.:eek::eek:
Im sure it would have been sent to PSA or JSA and been rejected before you let a hack like Drew certify it...If price to good to be true it normally is. But hey its your 300 bucks you just asked for opinions.

Offer the seller a buck eighty five and he might take it.
That is about what it is worth.

Forgeries are meant to have the appearance of looking authentic.

If you don't have an "eye" for autographs, every Mantle and Maris you observe will look authentic.

I have never seen an authentic Mantle, Maris, DiMaggio, Williams, etc. with a COA from Drew Max/AAU.

There is another collector here in Fargo?

I would agree that this is a lot better forgery than about any other i have seen fir maris(maryicularly the meat of the “m”)so would love to hear what others say.
I also tend to agree that it looks a bit suspect in the Roger.. particularly the R. That said, I keep looking at it without 100 percent dismissal despite the coa.
I agree with 99 percent certainty though.. it looks off as a whole. I am trying to figure out what the percentage would be in my simple brain without that coa though..

Again... i am just a photo guy though...:)

My thoughts are that some people can spot forgeries fairly easily if it is an autograph they have looked for quite a bit;i.e-seen many forgeries and many real ones. Others can spot them much more easily - perhaps they have seen one legitimate example and committed it to memory, plus they notice things a forger would do that others wouldn't notice. Others can't spot forgeries if the autograph looks 'close' to someone who has seen a real example but not really studied them closely. Nothing wrong with any of these skill sets.

I still can't tell a later Mantle forgery from a real one, even the ones that Shelly says are obvious.

The slants of the letters and the 'R' caught my eye immediately. You nailed it with "it looks off as a whole".

I have never heard the term 'maryicularly', but I like it.

Rager maris... uh no.